The Hart House Film Board, an organization that assists aspiring U of T student filmmakers, held its bi-annual Student Film Screening on Nov. 11 in Hart House’s East Common Room. The Student Film Screening is an opportunity for U of T students to have their films shown to the public. Alumni and students filled the East Common Room, enjoying the complimentary food and drinks provided in the prelude to the screenings and during intermission. The event was a success in terms of attendance and audience satisfaction. Spectators had an exciting chance to preview the emerging film talent from U of T.
Lucidity
Directed by Sve Pavic
VVVv
Lucidity centres on a lonely female exploring an abandoned courtyard. The story is told through the simplicity of black and white still-frames, which gives the short film a poetic feel. The beautiful setting, which juxtaposes majestic gothic sculptures with the single girl in an elegant black dress, is reminiscent of the music video for Evanescence’s “My Immortal:” both pieces have an artistic polish that is lost in many commercial works.
In Lucidity, the girl’s mysterious presence is heightened by her speechlessness. She is clearly in distress and depressed, and the addition of wavering music gives the film a lingering tone. In the end, the girl dives into a pool of water, emulating Virginia Woolf (minus the rocks in her pockets). Lucidity is not the most original film in terms of subject matter, but the beauty of its cinematography and story make up for its lack of fresh ideas.
Patient
Directed by Daniel Clements
VVVV
The opening shots show a man and a woman meeting for the first time in a coffee shop, presumably for a blind date. The man is noticeably nervous, but the audience cannot sense that something is wrong until the image of a bloody body suddenly appears on screen. Little by little, the scene around the man and women is revealed to show police cars, pools of blood, and a hostage with a gun in her mouth held under the table.
The actors are competent and highly believable, but what really shines through in Patient is its masterful editing and cinematography. Though the beginning is a bit slow, soon enough there is not a single moment that does not draw the audience in. The unfolding narrative is impressive and shocking, but Clements leaves a few questions unanswered: how did the story start? How did the scene end up this way? And what was so peculiar about the way that the man identified himself in the first place?
The Audience
Directed by David Eng
VVVVv
This dialogue-driven short is brilliant in both concept and execution. The Audience shows a couple in their early thirties seated in a movie theatre, staring straight into the camera. The two characters, along with the rest of the moviegoers, are seemingly watching the film, but what they presumably see is us, the real-life audience. This idea explores a clever, very meta concept in which viewers are aware of themselves in relation to the film.
The two actors are well-cast, perfectly capturing the dynamic of a bickering couple. Plus, the dialogue is interesting and funny. Most impressive, though, is that the whole thing was filmed with a single shot and single angle, leaving no room for mistakes from the actors. Despite the surreal aspect of the characters watching the viewer, the film is as close to reality as it can get: at the end, to stop the husband’s complaints of the movie they are watching, the wife threatens, “One more word out of you and you’re not getting any!” It’s always nice to see a movie culminate with the woman getting the upper hand.
